The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential occupants of that office in US history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the right thing to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
